Police to stop speeders in school zones

After issuing warnings over the past week, police in Summerland are getting ready to hand out tickets to drivers who speed through school zones.

Cpl. Chris Richardson of the Summerland RCMP detachment said in one recent morning check, police pulled over 15 speeding motorists in one hour.

Richardson said all the drivers told him they were running late, including one who was in a hurry to get to a yoga class.

The penalties for speeding in a school zone are high.

For those traveling up to 20 kilometres an hour above the 30 km/h school zone limit, the ticket is $196.

Those traveling between 21 and 40 km/h over the school zone limit will face a $253 ticket.

Drivers moving more than 40 km/h above the school zone speed limit will have their vehicles impounded for seven days and will receive a $368 ticket.

School zones are in place at Summerland’s schools from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on days when school is in session. The downtown core, including Summerland Middle School and Summerland Secondary School, has a permanent speed limit of 30 km/h.

In addition to the speeding tickets, drivers can face a $168 fine for not wearing their seatbelts.

Those using cell phones or texting while driving, the ticket for a first offence is $368.